The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is undertaking an evaluation of the support provided to people sleeping rough or at risk of sleeping rough during and after the COVID-19 national lockdown. MHCLG is responsible for housing in England. More specifically, MHCLG is undertaking research into:
- how well services work for people who were homeless or sleeping rough in ending homelessness and rough sleeping for them;
- what the benefits are for people receiving these services; and
- how services can best help people address the wider issues, which can accompany homelessness and rough sleeping.
Data Controller
For the research, MHCLG and Dartford Borough Council will both be independent data controllers of the personal information shared between them.
Data processor - MHCLG is commissioning an independent research organisation to carry out the research.
Information requirements - we Dartford Borough Council have a statutory duty to prevent homelessness and provide assistance to people threatened with or actually homeless. In order to fulfil our statutory duties, we collect and process the personal data that you provide to us when completing a homelessness application, which may include:
- name;
- residential address If available);
- email address;
- telephone number;
- nationality;
- gender;
- age;
- ethnicity;
- proxy applicant details (as above where you may nominate someone else to complete the application on your behalf);
- employer name and address;
- your National Insurance Number.
Data Sharing - we will share your name, nationality, date of birth, address, email address and telephone number with MHCLG’s researchers so that they can decide whom to select to participate in the research. If you are selected, the researcher will contact you and invite you to take part in an interview and ask you for additional personal information, such as your age, gender, ethnicity, and whether you have spent time in prison or in hospital. This information will help MHCLG understand if services work better for some people than others. It will be up to you whether you answer these questions. We have a data sharing agreement with MHCLG.
As some of the additional information is related to prison and hospital type of accommodation (not address) is referred to as ‘special category data and criminal offences data’.
If you participate in the first interview, you will also be asked if you agree to being contacted again in the future. If you agree, researchers will use your mobile number (or other contact number) to get in touch with you and invite you to take part in more interviews. If the researchers cannot contact you directly about taking part in another interview, they will ask us to share any updated contact details we have received from you.
Any information you provide during the interview will be kept strictly confidential, unless a researcher considers that you or someone else may be at risk of harm.
Our lawful bases for sharing your personal data with MHCLG
Based on the Housing Act 1996 section 179 with ancillary powers confirmed by Local Government Act 1972 section 111 and Localism Act 2011 section 1:
- Article 6(1)(e) as supplemented by DPA 2018, section 8(c) - processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller.
- Articles 9(2)(j) & 89(1) as supplemented by DPA 2018 sections 10(2) & 19 and Schedule 1, Part 1, para 4(a) – processing is necessary for statistical purposes.
- Article 9(2)(g) as supplemented by DPA 2018 section 10(3) & Schedule 1, Part 2, paras 6(1) and (2)(a) – processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest.
- Article 10 as supplemented by DPA 2018 section 10(5) & Schedule 1, Part 1, para 4(a) – processing is necessary for statistical purposes.
- Article 10 as supplemented by DPA 2018 section 10(5) & Schedule 1, Part 2, paras 6(1) and (2)(a) – processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest.
We have a Data Protection Policy that sets out how this information will be handled.
Retention - If you are not selected to participate in the research, your personal information will be deleted by MHCLG within one (1) month of the final selection of participants being made, and by March 2021 at the latest.
If you agree to participate in the research, your personal information will be retained by MHCLG until March 2023 at the latest.
All information will be held securely and disposed of confidentially by MHCLG.
Right to object – where processing your personal information is required for the performance of a public interest task (see our lawful bases above), you have the right to object on ‘grounds relating to your particular situation’. We will have to demonstrate why it is appropriate for us to continue to use your personal data.
Cookies – to see how we use cookies (small text files that are placed on your browser), please refer to our Cookies Policy.
Your rights- Please refer to our Corporate Privacy Notice and our Homelessness Services Privacy Notice for further details of how we process your personal information and for details on your additional rights.
Changes to this Privacy Notice – we review this Privacy Notice regularly and will place updates on our website.
Data Protection Officer – our Data Protection Officeroversees compliance with the Data Protection Legislation and making sure we respect your rights and follow the law. If you have any concerns or questions about how we look after your personal information, please contact the Data Protection Officer: dataprotection@dartford.gov.uk
Please refer to MHCLG’s Privacy Notice for further detailed information on the Next Steps Accommodation Programme and how MHCLG will process your personal information.